To feel ashamed, embarrassed and not know how to fix this?

[Avatarthewayofwater]

I've taken the image from Google as I'm far to embarrassed to take a picture of myself.

Any weight I gain goes on my stomach and due to emotional binge eating I find myself here.

I did have ultrasound scans to check nothing underlying was going on, but no its visceral fat and only I can get rid if it.

The problem is I've changed my diet completely and calorie counting and eating healthy along with exercise. Yet nothing has changed stomach wise.

I'm so self conscious and I can't wear normal clothes because I constantly look pregnant.

Even at the gym I hide in a big hoodie so no one can see.

It's making me depressed and I don't know how to get rid of the stomach fat.

Has anyone else been like this and managed? I had a c section years ago and have an underactive thyroid if that makes any difference.

Please be kind...

Sorry I have missed replying to some messages as it's hard to keep up.
I have been having the frozen steam veg packets you put in the microwave.

My aim is 1200 but with exercise I've been having around 1400.
I did just have 2 eggs for scrambled eggs as took them to work and microwaved them.

What veg comes in the packs?

These.

Carrots and sweetcorn are a no no for me when trying to lose weight. Switch to cauliflower and broccoli ones and see if that helps.

I know people talk a lot about starvation rations and weight storage. But on 1200 I would lose, slowly. On 1400 I’d just maintain. Regardless of exercise unless it was a 5k run 2-3 times a week. I have the metabolism of a slug :)

Try upping protein and reducing carbs for a few weeks and see if that helps. Don’t worry about your belly size and just focus on overall diet/weight/muscle tone. The belly is the last but to get into shape IMO.

And don’t be ashamed or embarrassed. Very few of us will go through life without having to work out what works for us at some point :)

What a load if old nonsense some posters are talking. Carrots & sweetcorn are very healthy veggies. The more brightly coloured the better they are for you.
The latest advice is to eat 30 different vegetables a week including herbs, seeds & grains. Don't eat a low fat diet but eat healthy fats like Olive oil. Low fat yogurts are terrible for you. They contain sweeteners & other additives which have been shown to have a detrimental effect on the gut bacteria. Anything processed & containing emulsifiers & stabilisers are thought to be bad for you. Hence pure fat containing plain Greek yogurt is the best yogurt to use.
Do not listen to random posters but do follow the Zoe programme on Instagram for the latest nutrition advice from actual doctors. Your high protein lunch would be good eaten with a fresh salad & a live cider vinegar & olive oil dressing.
I don't know how anyone can eat so much protein in one sitting though? I'm full after 2 eggs.

That depends on how your metabolism processes high carb veg. Mine doesn’t do well at all. We’re all different.

Carrots contain 7 GM's carbs per 100 GMs. That's only too Carby for a low keto diet. It's the antioxidants in the different colored veggies that's healthy for you & your gut health. Your gut health affects how you metabolise food.
In fact the beige highly processed diet is thought to be one of the reasons that young kids are gaining so much weight. Their gut bacteria numbers are very poor due to such restricted diets.

I would say you're eating too much fat and protein and no where near enough carbs. Also don't go fast on the treadmill - aim for a heart rate of 80-120 so you burn fat. Aim to have a hand sized portion of carbs with each meal (it's okay to splurge on pasta) and eat around 100g of protein based foods a day (i.e. meat or cheese etc). Cashews are what my skinny friends eat to gain weight so I wouldn't eat them at all. Try to eat around 30g of nuts a week only. To lose weight you need to have about a 500 calorie deficit a day. Make sure you eat enough and do look at food intolerances such as yeast, dairy or gluten as my stomach goes from flattish to seven months pregnant if I eat the wrong foods!

Yes exactly. I lived like this for 10 years,

@DJhowzy I would be very interested in reading more about that. Can you recommend anything I could read?

Looking at what you eat in a day,that seems a lot of food to me. Ditch the eggs and the cashews. There’s nothing good in tacos so I definitely wouldn’t eat those. Try kefir instead of yoghurt.
Have fresh vegetables when you can.
What drinks do you have during the day? Are you drinking enough water?

Your food is very bloating try FODMAP.

Try intermittent fasting. I did it and it worked for me. I’m 42.
along with intermittent fasting, you need strength training & not just cardio. I don’t know what your trainings are like but this worked for me.
Nutrition wise, you want to look at a high protein diet as opposed just “dieting “. Moreso, make sure you are always in calorie deficit.

It works, I promise you.

FFS Autumntree, OP says she eats fairly healthily and aims for 1200 cal a day. That's the recommended calorie intake for an adult woman. Telling her to literally halve the size of her meal portions is dangerous and stupid.

A 4am start?
How much sleep are you getting?

Sleep is extremely important, anything that's sluggish in your body is going to remain sluggish if you're not getting enough sleep.
Prioritising sleep along with the lifestyle changes will help them to actually work effectively!

It sounds counter intuitive but you might not be eating enough carbohydrates. I have hypothyroidism. I have my levels checked regularly and am on the right meds.
I found that I put weight on if I cut down a lot on carbs. Bread is not good, I have to avoid that, but a small amount of potato or rice (preferably brown rice) with my lunch- eg rice salad or small jacket potato, low sugar preferably wholemeal cereal or oats with my yogurt and fruit for breakfast and I loose weight 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Autumntree I tried eating between 600 and 800 calories a day- mainly veg and a little light protein- First week I lost 3lb. Second week I put on 4lb, by week 4 I was a stone and a half heavier than I was when I started.
My husband and I did the 5-2 (following Michael Moseley)we prepared and ate every meal together. We’re a bit competitive so I definitely didn’t cheat! He had the 2 days at 800cal. I had 600 as suggested. He lost 2 and a half stones. I put on 18lb.
I really think that it’ could be something to do with op’s (and my) metabolism as affected by the thyroid problem.

I think there's some evidence that very low carb diets are bad for those with an underactive thyroid as lack of carbs impairs the T4 to T3 conversion.

Sorry for being quiet. I'll be honest I've found the replies a little overwhelming as people are advising opposing things to others.

I haven't been to the gym since, but will be at my PT session on Sunday as much as I don't want to go.

This morning I'm trying overnight oats for breakfast as many of you recommended something more substantial.

I didn't have time to properly shop and plan my next 2 days lunches so grabbed The Gym something or other meals that are around 350 calories.

For tea I will be doing a salmon fillet with a bag of steam veg.

I'll admit that lately I'm feeling quite down about the way I look.

Go you!!

if you are feeling down OP then I don’t think this thread is right for you. The advice people are giving varies so wildly. Everyone is different. As an example, I can’t eat a lot of carbs and that includes carbs in veg. For me, veg underground is a no go, veg overground is fine. That’s me though. As a poster above said, they need to eat carbs and carbs veg.

Someone above said you are eating too much protein. I eat loads of proteins every day with no issues. Lots of fat and protein and lower on the carbs keeps my weight balanced and my bloating down. That’s taken ages to work out though after failing miserably at slimming world, weight watchers etc.

As I said, everyone is different and I think it’s working out what’s right for you.

Sorry, haven't read the whole thread. However, I go swimming about five times a week. I stay in for less than an hour, but it is really good exercise and has been the only exercise that has toned up my tummy.

Eat sensibly, don't 'diet'. Undereating often leads to the fat being stored again once you begin to eat a little more.

I am taking in all the advice and I will try a good many of them and see what works for me.

I think just by cutting out take aways and sugary snacks are a big thing to overcome at the moment. I know fruit is sweet but almost daily I would usually eat chocolate, crisps, cake and many other junk food items.

I am starting to feel less lethargic too which is good.

I have started listening to an audio book called the last diet which seems to work out mindset and your internal dialogue so I'm going to keep going with that and see if it helps.

I did ring the doctors on Tuesday and was told I'd have to call in at 8am each day to try and get a telephone consultation. So far by the time I get through they have all already gone. It seems to depend on luck really as to when you hit redial to getting through. Took 64 attempts to get through this morning.

I've found the replies a little overwhelming as people are advising opposing things to others.

yeah, that's maddening isn't it!

I'm a list maker. Sometimes it helps to list things out by what is easiest/seemingly quickest, and try the easiest/quickest action first, then work way thru the harder/slower if other stuff hasn't worked. Can make you feel more in control of too many conflicting options and like you have a strategy to try them. If the easiest action works for you, why would you bother trying anything else? Perfectly rational.